How to Play Chess

So you are interested in playing the strategic game of chess. Let us look at the basic rules and process involved in playing this unique game.

Setup Your Game

While setting up your board, you should bear in mind that there is always a square in white closest to the right side of each player. Also, remember that the queen should be kept on the square that matches the color. The White always makes the first move, then the black forward, and players continue to take alternate turns. Each player can only make one move at a time, the exception here is when there is a castling. Also, a player is not allowed to take or go through his or her piece.

The Game

Pawn Movement

Pawn Movement

The Pawn is like the soldiers get to move forward. You can take a pawn one and two space(s) on the first move, but for subsequent moves, it cannot be moved beyond one space. The pawns do move side by side to take out opponents.

Rook

The Rock can only move in one clear straight line, either forward, backward or side way movement. It has a lot of movement for being such a basic piece

Knight

The Knight is the only chess piece that can leap on board. Unlike any other piece, they cannot be blocked by a piece in their destination or between them. To easily recall how a knight moves, always remember the letter L. The Knight can take two spaces forward, by the side or backward and one pace at a turn to the right.

Bishop

The Bishop gets to move in a diagonal way towards any direction.

The Queen

The Queen

The queen can move in straight lines and continuous diagonal way. It can move forward, sideways and backward.

King

The king can move around anyhow he wants, but it can only move on just a square at once. Also, you cannot move the king take a move on an area that is attacked by the opponents.

Castling

The castling is a special move. As mentioned earlier, it is the exception to the general rule that you can only move a piece at a time. With castling, you can move two pieces at once using the same turn. The king gets to move two spaces towards the rook it will castle with, while the rook jumps to the opportunity side. The king only get to castle to any of the sides if: the king has not made an initial move, he is not in check, the king has not moved through or is in a check, there is no move yet from the castling side rook, there are no moves between the king and the rook he is to castle with.

The king can still castle even if the king is a check but is not really in one, and also if the rook stands a chance of being attacked before castling, the king can still castle with it.